PSC Inc.

PSC Inc. was a technology manufacturer based in Webster, New York, near Rochester. The company was established in 1969 as Photographic Sciences Corporation by John E. Blackert, associated with Xerox, and Lawrence P. Albertson, associated with Kodak. It developed from a company focused on imaging-related technical expertise into a supplier of data-capture and automatic-identification equipment. Its product scope included portable data terminals, mobile data terminals, wireless terminals, barcode readers, linear barcode verifiers, and RFID readers. These products served business and industrial users that needed to capture, verify, transmit, and manage information encoded in barcodes or radio-frequency identification tags. PSC's portfolio therefore occupied the intersection of enterprise mobility, retail scanning, logistics, field service, and automatic data collection. The company expanded through acquisitions during the 1990s. In 1996, it acquired Spectra-Physics Scanning Systems, Inc., adding scanning-system capabilities, and Percon Inc., a manufacturer of portable data terminals. These transactions broadened PSC's presence in portable computing and barcode-related hardware. PSC also operated a software division called IntelliTrack, which was separated from the company during a later financial restructuring. PSC entered bankruptcy reorganization in 2002. During that process, private-equity firm Littlejohn & Co. purchased the company's senior and subordinated debt, reported at approximately $124 million, while IntelliTrack was spun off to private investors. The restructuring marked a significant change in PSC's corporate organization and ownership structure. On October 24, 2005, Datalogic announced a binding agreement to acquire all of PSC Inc.'s share capital for approximately $195 million. Following completion of the transaction, PSC became part of Datalogic's automatic-identification business. Datalogic retired the PSC brand name on April 2, 2007, although it retained several established PSC product names, including Magellan, Duet, Falcon, PowerScan, and QuickScan. Datalogic also represented PSC's legacy in its corporate logo through the addition of a star associated with PSC. PSC is therefore best understood today as a defunct corporate brand whose technology and product names were absorbed into Datalogic's portfolio.

PSC Inc. began in 1969 in Webster, New York, as Photographic Sciences Corporation. Its founders were John E. Blackert, associated with Xerox, and Lawrence P. Albertson, associated with Kodak. Although its original corporate name reflected photographic and imaging sciences, the company became known for equipment used in automatic identification and enterprise data capture. PSC's business covered portable and mobile data terminals, wireless terminals, barcode readers, linear barcode verification equipment, and RFID readers. These technologies enabled organizations to capture product, inventory, shipment, and operational information and connect it with business systems. The company consequently served markets that depended on reliable scanning and mobile data collection. A major expansion occurred in 1996, when PSC acquired Spectra-Physics Scanning Systems, Inc. and Percon Inc. Spectra-Physics Scanning Systems contributed scanning expertise, while Percon was known as a manufacturer of portable data terminals. The acquisitions strengthened PSC's position across both scanning hardware and mobile computing. PSC later experienced serious financial difficulties. In 2002, it entered bankruptcy reorganization. Littlejohn & Co., a private-equity firm, acquired all of PSC's senior and subordinated debt, reported at approximately $124 million. As part of the reorganization, PSC's IntelliTrack software division was spun off to private investors. The restructuring separated that software activity from the hardware business and changed the company's financial ownership structure. The next major transition came in 2005. On October 24 of that year, Datalogic announced that it had signed a binding contract to purchase PSC Inc.'s entire share capital. The announced transaction value was approximately $195 million. The acquisition brought PSC into Datalogic, a larger automatic-identification technology group. PSC did not remain an independent brand within Datalogic indefinitely. Datalogic retired the PSC name on April 2, 2007. It nevertheless retained several recognizable PSC product names, including Magellan, Duet, Falcon, PowerScan, and QuickScan. Datalogic also acknowledged PSC's heritage in its corporate logo by adding a star representing PSC. The result was a gradual transition from an independent company and brand to a set of inherited products and brand associations within Datalogic's broader portfolio.

• 2007

  PSC brand retired

  [1]PSC Inc.en.wikipedia.org

  Datalogic retired the PSC brand name while retaining selected product names and a visual reference to PSC in its corporate logo.

• 2005

  Datalogic announces acquisition

  [1]PSC Inc.en.wikipedia.org

  Datalogic announced an agreement to acquire all of PSC Inc.'s share capital for approximately $195 million.

• 2002

  Bankruptcy reorganization

  [1]PSC Inc.en.wikipedia.org

  PSC reorganized under bankruptcy protection, with Littlejohn & Co. acquiring its senior and subordinated debt and IntelliTrack being spun off to private investors.

• 1996

  Expansion through two acquisitions

  [1]PSC Inc.en.wikipedia.org

  PSC acquired Spectra-Physics Scanning Systems, Inc. and Percon Inc., broadening its scanning and portable-terminal capabilities.

• 1969

  Company founded as Photographic Sciences Corporation

  [1]PSC Inc.en.wikipedia.org

  John E. Blackert and Lawrence P. Albertson founded the company in Webster, New York.

Enterprise automatic-identification and data-capture equipment for retail, logistics, industrial, and mobile-workforce applications.

• Enterprise mobile computing

  Portable data terminals

  PSC manufactured portable data terminals for mobile collection and transmission of business information. These devices formed part of the company's automatic-identification portfolio and supported work environments in which users needed to capture barcode or operational data away from a fixed workstation.

• Enterprise mobility

  Mobile and wireless data terminals

  The company's mobile and wireless terminals extended data-capture activities into distributed and field environments. They were intended for enterprise users requiring portable access to collected information and connectivity with operational systems.

• Automatic identification

  Barcode readers

  Barcode readers were a central part of PSC's product range. The devices enabled organizations to capture encoded product and transaction data and were associated with the company's later Magellan, PowerScan, and QuickScan product names retained by Datalogic.

• Barcode quality control

  Linear barcode verifiers

  PSC produced equipment for verifying linear barcodes. Such systems were used to check whether printed codes met readability requirements, supporting quality control in labeling, packaging, manufacturing, and distribution operations.

• Radio-frequency identification

  RFID readers

  RFID readers extended PSC's automatic-identification offering beyond optical barcodes to radio-frequency identification. The products addressed electronic tag reading and data capture for enterprise and industrial use cases.

• 2007

  Retirement of the PSC brandStrategy

  Background

  After acquiring PSC, Datalogic reviewed how the acquired company's identity and products would fit within its own portfolio.

  Action taken

  Datalogic retired the PSC name, retained selected names such as Magellan, Duet, Falcon, PowerScan, and QuickScan, and added a star representing PSC to its corporate logo.

  Aftermath

  PSC ceased to operate as an independent visible brand, while parts of its product and brand legacy continued under Datalogic.

  Source

• 2005

  Sale to DatalogicM&A

  Background

  Datalogic sought to acquire the complete share capital of PSC Inc. and announced a binding takeover contract.

  Action taken

  Datalogic agreed to purchase PSC Inc. for approximately $195 million.

  Aftermath

  PSC became part of Datalogic, which later retired the PSC corporate brand while preserving several product names.

  Agreed acquisition price. Approximately $195 million (2005)

  Source

• 2002

  Restructuring and IntelliTrack spin-offStrategy

  Background

  PSC entered bankruptcy reorganization amid financial difficulties. Its software division, IntelliTrack, was separated from the hardware business.

  Action taken

  Littlejohn & Co. purchased PSC's senior and subordinated debt, and IntelliTrack was spun off to private investors.

  Aftermath

  The restructuring changed PSC's ownership and corporate composition before its subsequent acquisition by Datalogic.

  Senior and subordinated debt purchased by Littlejohn & Co.. $124 million (2002)

  Source

• 2007

  Datalogic retires the PSC brand[1]PSC Inc.en.wikipedia.org

  Other

  Datalogic retired the PSC name while preserving selected legacy product names and commemorating PSC in its corporate logo with a star.

• 2005

  Datalogic agrees to acquire PSC Inc.[1]PSC Inc.en.wikipedia.org

  M&A

  Datalogic announced a binding agreement to acquire all of PSC Inc.'s share capital for approximately $195 million.

• 2002

  PSC enters bankruptcy reorganization[1]PSC Inc.en.wikipedia.org

  Bankruptcy

  PSC underwent bankruptcy reorganization. Littlejohn & Co. purchased the company's senior and subordinated debt, while the IntelliTrack software division was separated and sold to private investors.

• 1996

  PSC acquires Spectra-Physics Scanning Systems and Percon[1]PSC Inc.en.wikipedia.org

  M&A

  PSC expanded its scanning and portable-terminal operations by acquiring Spectra-Physics Scanning Systems, Inc. and Percon Inc.

1. 1PSC Inc.en.wikipedia.org